Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal Nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal Boy lives in a caravan on his own in the woods. His dad, John, is in prison and promises to get out soon. All the boy needs to do is survive alone for a little while longer. But dark forces are circling - like the dangerous man in the Range Rover, who is looking for his stolen money. And then there are the ancient forces that have lain asleep in the woods for an age...

About the Author
Jason Cockcroft (Author, Illustrator) Jason Cockcroft was born in New Zealand, and raised in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He graduated from Falmouth School of Art and is the illustrator and author of over forty books for children, including the illustrated covers for the last three books in the Harry Potter series. Jason won the inaugural Blue Peter Book Award and has been nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Reviews
"A truly original and affecting piece of work. Unsettling but beautiful, sparse but packed with heart, it's a real invasion of the senses" -- Phil Earle
"A beautifully strange illustrated novel... the shadowy illustrations remind us of beasts lurking under the soil, and the fine line between myth and reality. This powerful, unsentimental novel calls to mind the work of Patrick Ness and David Almond, and their capacity to be both topical and timeless" * Irish Times *
"This beautiful, tensely written book is a classic of its kind, squeezing every drop of tension out of the reader until the final, hallucinatory climax ... beautifully written, taut and tense" -- Melvin Burgess
"Just like Harry Potter, this story cuts straight through to the human experiences, and the myths and fantasy only increase its emotional resonance" * Mugglenet *
"Yearning regret punctuated by glimpses of real companionship and pure dread. What a joy to see Jason's pictures matched by such an unsentimental but tender story" -- Geraldine McCaughrean


Awards
Short-listed for Badger Book Awards (UK). Long-listed for UKLA Book Award (UK) and CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2022 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9781839130571
Author Jason Cockcroft
Format Hardback
Page Count 216
Imprint Andersen Press Ltd
Publisher Andersen Press Ltd
Weight(grams) 500g
Dimensions(mm) 210mm * 170mm * 20mm